Terre Des Merveilles
by l'automne
Summary: Alice left Wonderland for London but soon begins to regret the decision. A second chance arises and it's up to Alice to decide whether or not to leave the world she knows for the one she loves.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Alice sat straight in her bed; sweat coating her palms and forehead as she ran a clammy hand down her face. Back ramrod straight, she dropped the hand and let out a heavy sigh.

Alice had been dreaming about Wonderland again. Rather- she _thought_ she had dreamed about Wonderland again. She was never really quite certain whether or not she was ever dreaming- after her last experience in Wonderland, that is. She figured the fact that she was in her bed, in her night clothing might be a bit of a giveaway. She hadn't gone back- it really was all just a dream.

Disappointment lined her features for a brief moment and was quickly replaced with a blank expression. She shouldn't be disappointed that she wasn't in Wonderland- it had been _her choice_ to return to London. And now here she was- seated in London, only occasionally content with her (not very adventurous) life and missing her Wonderland like never before.

_Is it Wonderland you miss?_ Her thoughts inquired. _Or the people within?_

Alice sighed again. That wasn't the right track to lead her mind down- wishing such things would get little accomplished, and if anything she prided herself on being efficient.

After all, London affairs seemed to be pretty easy after slaying a Jabberwocky. There was just nothing to challenge Alice after Wonderland. Everything seems so….

Bland. London was bland, Alice had decided. Or at least, London was bland in comparison to other places Alice could be.

She folded the covers down slightly, lying back down in the divot her body had left from before the dream roused her from her sleep.

_It is perfectly reasonable to miss Wonderland_. She decided. _Also perfectly reasonable to miss Hatter. _Her thoughts paused. _And the White Queen, of course, the Rabbit and Dormouse. Everyone. Perhaps someday I'll return._

The word _someday_ hung in Alice's mind that night as she drifted off into a restless sleep full of orange hair, friendship and somedays.


	2. Disclaimer

A few things….

I forgot the disclaimer. Like I always do, so I'm giving a blanket disclaimer right now.

Alice in Wonderland isn't mine- the film this fiction is based off of belongs to Tim Burton and Disney, the characters the creation of Lewis Carroll.

All in all, not mine.

Some of you might know I don't have an update schedule. I pretty much write when I please, and right now I please ^.^ The point being- I do have a life. I might not update daily, weekly or monthly. But I would like to finish this eventually. It's just a question of how eventually.

Finally, constructive criticism is welcome. Try not to be mean about it.

(Just a side note: This isn't edited by anyone but myself. Please excuse any errors that might be popping out. If it's hurting your eyes, tell me. I like to know these things.)


	3. Chapter One

Chapter I

Alice wasn't entirely sure about what to do with the situation she had been dealt.

Sure- just the night before she had been thinking about how absolutely dull London is in comparison to Underland, but in no way did she mean that her world should just explode at her feet to make life that bit more interesting.

Well. Perhaps she did to a certain extent- but not to the point of panic.

She was panicking, and Alice Kingsley did _not _panic. Panicking did little good and just made you feel hopeless, which is not of any use to someone in a position such as Alice's at the that very moment. She was even tempted to throw around a few of the dirtier words she knew.

Not that she would, however. Swearing was not becoming nor was it appropriate. Though Alice was not the most appropriate of people she _did _concern herself with the comfort of others, and it was common knowledge that swearing did make others uncomfortable. Otherwise, she could almost guarantee you about what would be coming out of her mouth at that very second.

As it was, Alice could not express herself in the way she wished. Instead, she settled for a grunt- a very angry grunt no less.

Lowell had been cheating still. Alice had known- heavens… she had _caught _him. After returning from Underland she had been so wrapped up in what _she _was doing that the affairs of Lowell took the back burner. And now Margaret had to pay for Alice's mistake by catching Lowell in the act herself.

Alice hadn't been entirely sure what to do or say when Margaret had shown up, distressed at the discovery and not knowing of Alice's prior knowledge. Not that Alice had told her- how exactly did you admit to your sister that you knew her husband had been having an extramarital affair?

"Aren't you angry?" Alice had asked Margaret, curious at her sister's display of emotions- sad rather than angry.

Margaret shook her head. "How can I be?" She asked. "He's my husband-"

Alice cut her off, standing abruptly. Margaret's explanation was little more than an excuse and she wanted her sister to _know_ what she thought of it. Margaret rolled her eyes, seeing Alice's dismay.

"Alice," She began. "I don't think you understand what I mean. I love Lowell." She professed.

Alice scoffed. She was fairly certain the marriage was loveless and Margaret's profession was designed solely to appease her mind.

"How can you love Lowell?" She asked. "Describe it for me, please. How can you love someone you can't trust?" Alice's eyes met Margaret's, her gaze intense and voice pleading. Margaret broke eye contact.

"Just drop it, Alice. Please?" She asked, her voice tired and weak.

Alice dropped back down into her seat, holding her forehead in her hand.

"Fine, Margaret" Alice agreed. "Just… talk with Lowell, okay?" She asked, raising her gaze to meet Margaret's once more. "This isn't something you can just drop, alright?"

Margaret nodded, a silent promise to Alice. The conversation turned to slightly more pleasant topics after that heavy conversation and Margaret left soon after.

And so Alice was left with her predicament. What was she to do with Margaret's marriage crisis, which was essentially (or at least partly) her fault? Not that she was taking the blame for Lowell or anything… just not telling Margaret about it sooner as opposed to leaving her to find out on her own.

Silence rung in her ears and Alice stood from her seat, feeling the need for a walk arise. She collected her bag and a long, black coat before stepping out of the flat, shutting the door with a click and beginning her journey elsewhere.

An hour passed and Alice found herself in the park of the legendary garden party- her supposed to be engagement party- the party that started it all just 2 years before. It seemed like less time had passed, but the calendar and Alice herself were both proof. Two years had passed since she had last seen her friends in Underland, or Wonderland as she so often called it in her mind.

She made her way through the green hedge maze, her eyes watching as the masses of green bush passed by, the occasional pink flower weaved through the leafy, branch riddled mass. She reached a clearing finally and a tree in particular caught her eye.

Alice walked around the tree slowly, searching. Her heart sank when she couldn't find it- the hole was gone. She lowered herself to the ground slowly, her eyes closed and blonde hair waving in the wind. She was never going back and never before had she regretted her decision to leave so.

A minute passed before Alice opened her eyes once more, her mind processing the reality that she might never return to her Wonderland. Blue eyes fell to the ground and widened in surprise when they met an eerily familiar black hole- an abnormally large, abnormally long rabbit hole.

"Curious." She commented, her hands running around the rim of the hole to assure her mind that it was, in fact, real. Her hands met the loose dirt and a handful tumbled down, and though Alice listened she could not her the rock/dirt combination hit the bottom. She was fairly sure that this was her hole- this was the passageway to Underland.

Her heartbeat immediately picked up and her palms got a bit sweatier than they had been before. Despite the rush she seemed to be experiencing, however, Alice very much felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Wonderland was still there, and she knew how to find it.

Alice stared at the hole for a long moment before standing, her gaze still directed at the hole. She knew jumping was a bad idea, but the impulse was still there- _she wanted to jump more than she wanted anything else. She needed to do this. _

Somehow, Alice found it in her to turn away and walk, ignoring her body's request for the moment. If she _needed _to jump, as her body had hinted, she knew where the hole was- that it was still there.

_But what if it isn't, later?_ Was the single, niggling thought in Alice's mind as she walked the way she had come, through the hedge maze and towards the open field of the park.

Alice returned home that night in a significantly more somber mood than she had left in- something she hadn't quite deemed to be possible when she had left earlier that afternoon. She made her way up the staircase, unbuttoning her jacket as she went and folding it over her arm as she approached the top. Entering through her open bedroom door, she approached the long, silver lined mirror occupying a corner of her room.

Though Alice had changed over the past two years and with her journey to and from China, she was still unmistakably Alice- unruly blonde hair and all.

Her hand reached out on it's own accord and, expecting to meet with the cool glass reflection of her face, passed straight through.

Alice's eyebrows raised- _that_ was new.

Testing, she reached out a second hand. It, too, passed through the glass. Shocked, Alice stepped back from the glass and tested with her foot- it passed.

She removed her foot and stepped across the room to the chair she had draped her jacket across when she entered the room. Jacket in hand, she approached the glass and stepped through in one fluid motion.


	4. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Alice stepped through the glass of the mirror, the cool sensation of floating fresh on her skin as she passed and finally reached some sort of solid ground.

Sensing something beneath her feet, Alice opened her eyes to find herself in a room composed solely of mirrors. Her eyes searched the room, finding only other Alice's in the room, no clear exit in sight. She stepped forward carefully so as to not break the glass floor and circled the room, searching for some sort of way out. After a minute or so of careful search she found a glass doorknob on the mirror opposite the one she had started at. Turning it carefully, the door opened easily and allowed Alice out of the mirror room and into a vaguely familiar forest.

Surrounded by mushrooms taller than she, Alice began to stumble her way through the forest, only semi convinced this was her beloved Wonderland. Underland was, after all, the only place she knew of with mushrooms of such sizes. Even so, it all seemed too good to be true that she would be thinking about how much she missed the place one second and the next she could step through her perfectly ordinary mirror into another land entirely.

Needing proof of her location, Alice continued to stumble her way through the forest and it's mushrooms of many sizes. Pushing past a cluster of particularly large red mushrooms, Alice stopped abruptly, her eyes wide with surprise as she came face to face with a set of glowing yellow eyes.

The eyes hovered for a few moments, regarding Alice with a look of curiosity before a head to match the eyes appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, followed soon by a body. Alice was momentarily speechless as the ever grinning Cheshire Cat floated before her, smiling happily as he did in her memories.

"Chessur!" Alice exclaimed, a grin breaking out on her face to match that of the cat. The cat continued to grin, his tail flicking happily in the air.

"Alicccceeee." He drew out the word, his grin returning to his face shortly after the end of the word. "How nice to see you again! What brings you to Underland?" He inquired, swatting her playfully with his tail.

"I'm not entirely sure." She admitted, batting at his tail teasingly. "One moment I'm sitting in London by my mirror, and the next thing I know I'm all the way over here. I can't even begin to imagine how that might have worked." She mused, stroking his tail contemplatively. The cat stole back his tail, swatting at Alice's nose quickly before continuing on the conversation.

"Ah," He said vaguely. "That, I believe, might be a question for the White Queen." He admitted, his grin fading slightly in disappointment of not having an answer for Alice. "Would you like for me to take you to her?" He asked, his eyes bright in anticipation of adventure. "I'm quite sure she would be pleased to the bone to see you once more." He added, hoping Alice would take him up on the offer. There was only so much for an evaporating cat to do in Underland, after all. Life tended to get a bit boring and an Alice was _just _the thing to cure that boredom.

Alice smiled, poking at a small mushroom with her foot for a moment while she thought about how to word her response.

"I think," She mused, "I would not mind your accompaniment, but not to visit the White Queen, if it's not too much of a bother." She admitted, looking up into the knowing face of the Cheshire Cat. The cat smiled knowingly.

"To visit the Mad Hatter?" He asked, his grin fading slightly before perking up once more with a sort of forced happiness.

Alice frowned, not quite sure she wanted to know just what it was that had the cat's smile fading as such. She decided not to ask, figuring if it was of utmost importance she could trust the cat to disclose the information.

"Yes, to the Hatter if you don't mind too terribly." She replied, smiling as the cat disappeared, reappearing farther down the path.

"Come on, then!" He commented, flashing his grin before disappearing once more and reappearing slightly farther down. "Let's not take all day about this!

The cat and Alice continued on their way in a similar fashion, walking for a little more than an hour before Alice began to recognize her surroundings. The unmistakable sounds of a tea party greeted her ears not much later, and the duo sped up slightly, rushing to make it to the tea table.

There sat the Mad Hatter, conversing with the March Hare about things starting with the letter T.

"Trombones."  
"Turtles."

"Tumblers."

"Tins."

"Tails."

"Tongues."

"Toughness."  
"Toughness isn't a thing."

Alice stood with the cat for a moment or two, watching the banter between the duo as the Dormouse sat in her teacup, watching them in amusement.

"What about tea itself?" The Cheshire Cat inquired, evaporating and reappearing beside the March Hare.

"Tea!" Exclaimed the Hatter. "Why, I don't think we've ever thought up _that_ one, now have we?" He asked the March Hare, excitement evident in his voice at the ever so obvious word starting with the letter T.

Alice slipped over to the table quietly, taking a seat next to the Cheshire Cat as the Hatter and March Hare argued over the validity of the word 'tea' considering it did sound the same as the pronunciation of the letter 'T'.

"Why don't you ask Alice _her_ opinion?" The cat asked, rolling his head as he drew the attention of the table to its newest occupant.

Alice scowled at the cat while the Hatter's head turned quickly, his hat miraculously staying on his head in the process.

The other two occupants of the table did not seem to be terribly concerned with the presence of Alice- the Dormouse kept on waving around her sword from her position in her teacup and the March Hare continued to argue against the use of the word 'tea' in their 'things that start with the letter…' games. The Mad Hatter, however, seemed to be a bit shocked about the presence of the newest table member.

"A-alice?" He asked, his voice stuttering slightly over the name. His mouth spread into a wide smile as Alice nodded, showing off the gap between his two front teeth. "Well. Just in time for tea then, are we?" He commented, standing quickly and leaving the chair to fall behind him.

The Hatter leaned over the table slightly, picking up a teacup and saucer from the pile in the centre. Teaware in hand, he started in Alice's direction, gathering the teapot with his free hand on the way.

Finally the Hatter reached her seat, placing the teaware carefully in front of her he turned the chair to face him and pulled her up by two hands.

"Welcome back." He greeted, the smile still stuck on his face.

Alice grinned in response, pulling the shocked Hatter to her in a tight hug. The Hatter hesitated a moment before wrapping his arms around Alice in response.

"What took you so long?" He asked, still wrapped tight in her hug. Alice smiled against his shoulder.

"I haven't the slightest, Hatter."


	5. Chapter Three

"I haven't the slightest, Hatter." Alice replied, pulling away from the hug to hold the Hatter at arm's length. Alice's eyes scanned the Hatter's body, finding him to be almost exactly the same as he had been when she had left him- it was as if time had left him untouched.

"Hatter?" She asked, curiosity lining her voice. The Hatter nodded, his eyes serious as he met hers' for a brief moment.

"Yes, Alice?" He replied, looking her over himself for any signs of ill health. Finding none, he met her eyes once more.

"How have you been? How has _Under_landbeen?" She asked, stressing the _Under_ of the name to remind herself that not _everyone_ called it Wonderland as she did. She wished she had more interesting questions, however. Even though it had been near two years since she had last seen the Hatter it felt as though it had been just yesterday she had been gallivanting around, slaying mythical creatures and having mad tea parties with her friends.

The Hatter avoided her gaze again, fidgeting for a moment with his left glove before meeting her eyes again. Alice wondered if she had mistakenly asked an interesting question to which the Hatter might have an interesting answer.

"Underland has been in a fine state, thank you, Alice." He replied, avoiding her question about himself. Alice frowned, not wanting to push the matter on the day of her return. "All has been fine since you left us not too long ago." He finished, a smile on his face. "You really did come back almost before we knew it."

Alice's frown deepened- it had been two years since she had been in her Wonderland.

"Hatter- it's been _years_." She voiced the thought. The Hatter placed a contemplative hand on his chin, thinking about the question for a moment before answering.

"Well, perhaps it has been up… _there_." He replied, waving a careless hand above him, meaning the land Alice had left behind for the third time now. "Time works in funny ways here in Underland, though." He continued, raising a hand cover his mouth to their table companions (who were enjoying their tea, practicing swordplay and now listing things beginning with the letter 'R', all at once). "Personally, I suspect Father Time just isn't able to handle our nonsense." He whispered, leaning in close to Alice's ear. "It's not as though any of us have ever been terribly concerned enough with Time to bother with the silly thing. Life _is_ so much more fun without, after all."

He dropped his hand, leaning back a moment before rocking forward once more on his heel.

"Not that I know, however, just how long a year is." He confided, winking at Alice with a smile. "It _has _been a while since we've had to deal with time."

"A year's a fair amount of time." Alice shared, her statement vague even to herself who _knew _just how long a year was. After all, how did you explain how long an amount of time was to someone with little experience in the matter and without a definite reference point? "So do you mean to say things just… continue in Underland? Do you _age_ at all?" She asked, throwing away any sense of propriety her mother might have attempted to instill in her before and asking the very questions to which she wanted answers.

"Perhaps." The Hatter answered with a smile. "We're not entirely sure how it works, ourselves. We age in our own way- you kind of level out eventually and don't change much after that." He told her, holding back a grin at Alice's incredulous expression.

"So if one were to be exceedingly careful one might be able to live… forever?" She asked. The Hatter nodded.

"The life expectancy is great here in Underland after the exile of the Red Queen." He told her. "After all, many less heads rolling when one isn't ordering them to do so at every offence."

Alice nodded- the statement _did _make sense. If one were able to keep their head it could be assumed that one could keep their life, also.

"I suppose that does make sense." She admitted, grinning at her companion. "In some sort of strange way."

"Well," The Hatter grinned, pushing gently on Alice's shoulder as a prompt to lower herself back into her chair. "If strange is what you're looking for, you've certainly come to the right place."

With a small flourish, the Hatter turned Alice's chair around once more and made his way back to the head of the table, gently tapping each of the occupants on their head to remind them of the tea party in progress as he went along.

**So I owe everyone an apology. This has been done for a while, but there was more.**

**Then I realized that I should really leave something for November. This was the best place to cut it, thus the short chapter.**

**Just remember- 11 days until November! And then your inbox will be spammed with updates for 31 days, if all goes to plan ;)**

**-l'automne**


	6. Chapter Four

Day One

Alice's hair swirled around her head, an icy blonde halo in the wind as she made her way down the trail, accompanied once more by the Cheshire Cat. The trail to Marmoreal, being long though not that treacherous, was full of bends and twists that likely would have fooled Alice right from the start had she not had an Underland companion by her side to show her the way. As the Hatter and, consequently, the rest of her Underland comrades were bound to hat making duties for the remainder of the afternoon, the Cheshire Cat found himself bound to Alice-escorting duties for the remainder of _his_ afternoon.

Though the cat found himself to be semi-irate at these circumstances and the loss of his lazy afternoon (as cats so very often enjoy but the Cheshire Cat very rarely got opportunity to enjoy), Alice was fairly content with this particular turn of events. The Cheshire Cat, having capabilities beyond those of a regular feline, was of course able to appear and disappear wherever he so chose, along with having the ability to take on whichever forms he had already learned prior to their walk. Despite his irate attitude regarding Alice's entertainment with his capabilities, Alice found herself to be sufficiently entertained throughout the trip, whether the cat meant to entertain or not.

Which, of course, the cat found himself doing despite his very best efforts to _not_. He simply _could not help_ that the stripes, wrapped around his brightly coloured torso like ribbons disappeared and re appeared in a nonsensical wrapping pattern. He also could not help the involuntary reactions of his tail, which Alice so enjoyed to swat as she walked, earning a growl and a few muttered choice words from the cat himself. Finally, the cat could simply not help the fact that when he walked, he walked with pride. This is, of course, a nice way of saying that the Cheshire Cat had an undeniable strut. Alice clued in on this little tidbit quite quickly, of course, and proceeded to tease the cat about it at regular intervals throughout the course of their walk, which had so far taken approximately an hour and a half and was only half over. The cat was not certain he could continue to grin for the remainder of the journey, though he continued to chant the phrase 'grin and bare it' in his head as he strutted and Alice walked, hoping that the concept would somehow solidify in his mind and perhaps even create a barrier between his rational irritation with the Above-land citizen and his dignity, which was taking a rather large hit at the moment.

Alice, however, widely considered the irritation of the cat to be the best form of entertainment. After all, few things are more hilarious than a cat with a bruised ego, considering the more than ample size of a cat's ego on your average day. With this size in mind, Alice figured that the cat could do with a solid grounding every so often, and thus enjoyed tormenting the feline at every possible opportunity, knowing that her actions were for the good of Underland. After all, balance is a requirement in almost every circumstance, and as Alice had every intention of staying in Underland for the foreseeable future, the egos of Underland had to be kept in balance. Despite the not very large size of Alice's ego, it was still more than certainly not miniscule or of irrelevant size, and thus Alice's logic reasoned that she had to make room within Underland for not only her physical self but for her ego as well. As the Cheshire Cat was the creature with the largest ego in Underland, Alice figured it was only right to make room for herself at the cat's expense.

"Chess?" Alice asked, breaking the silence that had followed all of her previous, semi annoying questions. The cat heaved a sigh, turning mid float to face his inquisitor while still continuing on in the same direction, as objects in motion so often do thanks to inertia.

"Yes, Alice?" He responded, the green stripes unraveling along his torso once again, only to be replaced by a ribbon of purple and orange argyle as he phrased his question. Alice wrinkled her nose at the erupting pattern on the cat's back, but continued on with her question and answer conquest, regardless of her distaste regarding the cat's choice of pattern.

"How old are you?" Alice inquired, looking down at her moving feet with a smirk in response to the cat's exaggerated yelp of protest.

"Alice!" He reprimanded, his tone laced with shock and a bit of offense at her question. "It isn't terribly courteous to inquire as to one's age when one is uninvited to do so!" Alice laughed softly, wrinkling her nose as she did so.

"Yes, but I am terribly curious and not at all concerned with manners at the present moment. Besides, it isn't as though I'm disillusioned enough to believe it to be a good, let alone appropriate idea to inquire about the age of just anyone here in Underland."

"Then why inquire about _mine_?" The cat whined, his voice just loud enough for Alice's ears to pick up. She held back her laugh.  
"Touchy about your age, Chess?" She asked, her tone teasing as they continued to meander down the trail. The cat sniffed, strutting along the air with his tail held high.

"Of course not, silly girl," He answered, his tone hinting at his lack of enjoyment regarding her statement. "It's not as though age is anything to be ashamed of, here."

"Well," Alice began, looking up at the Cheshire Cat once more. "How old _are_ you, then, Chess?" The cat sniffed once more, trotting along the air in a semi circle before continuing on headfirst once again.

"Three hundred and thirty four." The cat answered, his tone casual in the most forced way possible. Alice made no attempt to hide her shock.

"That's… quite impressive." She admitted, momentarily at a loss of words following the declaration of the cat. "Did you ever doubt you would make it this long?"

The cat snorted. "Hardly. I am, after all, awesome."

Alice rolled her eyes at the cat's response. Of course he was. It would appear that her ego reduction tasks would take substantially more time than she had at the present moment. This did not mean, however, that she was giving up. Not in the slightest. After all, perseverance was what she considered to be one of her best qualities. Nobody ever gets anywhere in life by sitting around, doing nothing. Except, of course, the Cheshire Cat. But Alice was beginning to realize that he was a _very_ special case, indeed.

Silence followed the cat's proclamation, though it was hardly an idle silence. Alice's head found itself to be very un silent as a matter of fact, categorizing information she had learned throughout the day and deciding just what each tidbit might come in handy for. The information regarding the lifespan of Underland citizens had, of course, come as quite the shock to Alice, though it was still very unclear to her the exact life span of an individual.

Regardless, Alice had had what one might consider a very busy day and was, as a result, quite tired. Alice consequently met the remainder of her journey with her very dear friends 'anticipation' and 'eagerness', who only multiplied in numbers and ruffled their feathers in a highly aristocratic manner when the White Castle was in sight.

Alice stopped mid stride the second the sight of the castle met her eyes, memories hitting her person as memories so often do- like a wave. Alice reprimanded herself briefly for using the clichéd expression, even if just in her mind, as she stared up at the white wonder in front of her. Despite the dream-like quality of all her previous Underland memories, it would just never cease to amaze her how _real_ it all seemed when she finally returned, as she inevitably always would.

The fact, of course, that Underland _was_ a real place (as she had learned during her last trip down the rabbit hole) probably helped the observation this time around, though Alice was just as enamored with the land and with the castle as she had been on previous visits.

_Besides, _Alice reasoned. _Dreams are real things, too. They just aren't quite as… tangible._

It was at this point that the Cheshire Cat realized he had lost his companion a little ways down the trail, and began to paw his way back with a vaguely annoyed expression gracing his furry face.

"Alice," He reprimanded in an alarmingly gentle tone as he floated on his back to meet her. "Why are you all the way back here? The castle isn't going to just come to _you_, you know."

Alice rolled her eyes. The cat was simply ridiculous; there was absolutely nothing that could be done about that. Though she supposed she was really in no position to inform the cat of her decision regarding his demeanor, considering she was fairly certain the cat still held a degree of irritation towards her and her prodding, ego dwindling questions. Which could be expected, she supposed. Perhaps it would be for the best to lie off of Chess for the time being. Chipping away at the a single brick on the wall that was this cat's ego might just be more effective than going at it a row at a time.

"I am quite aware that the castle does not have feet, and thus does not have the ability to come to me, Chess. I am simply resting my own feet, so I will be able to come to the castle. It isn't nice to tease people, you know. I have had a particularly long day."

The cat rolled his yellow eyes, rolling his body as he did so in the direction of the castle. Alice was certain he had picked up on the sarcasm in her voice, and it was with this thought she continued on to the castle of the White Queen, where she was sure adventure was waiting.


	7. Chapter Five

Day Two

Alice stood on the marble floors of the White Queen's castle before the White Queen herself, who was not sitting on a throne as one might expect, but rather standing daintily in front of Alice with her hands positioned in the air as per usual. Alice's arms ached as she just looked at those of the White Queen, though the Queen herself appeared not to be bothered by the matter in the slightest. It was then obvious to Alice that the queen had some sort of supernatural powers in the arm-muscle department, as no regular person would be able to hold their arms in such positions at any given time, let alone appear to be doing it effortlessly.

Though the White Queen was graceful and her motions seemed practiced and calm as always, Alice noticed there was, in fact, a very definite frazzled quality to the expression of the White Queen that she was fairly certain had not been present when she visited last. Alice (quite understandably) found this quality to be particularly concerning, considering the usual calm air that usually surrounded the White Queen.

"Champion Alice!" The Queen greeted, her voice solid and confident despite her worried expression. "I feared you might never arrive. I suppose I should learn to trust the Oraculum, shouldn't I?" She pondered, a slight smile gracing her dark lips as she phrased her question.

Alice briefly forgot her previous concerns regarding the wellbeing of the Queen and smiled at her memories of the Oraculum, or rather the caterpillar (_well, butterfly now, I suppose_ she reminded herself) who usually accompanied the omniscient scroll.

"How _is_ Absolem?" Alice questioned, tilting her head ever so slightly as she did so. The Queen smiled in response.

"He does have quite the time attempting to work his hookah without the many feet and arms he had before." The Queen answered, covering her lips with a delicate hand as she let loose a brief giggle. "Though I suppose he is rather getting the hang of it, now. He gets rather… irate without it." She supplied, moving her hand to its previous position in the air gracefully as she did so. "It was really for the best of Underland he learned, I suppose."

Alice smiled. It was a rare occasion indeed when she had seen Absolem without his colourful smoke rings for company. She could only imagine the chaos that might ensue had he been deprived.

Brief silence followed Alice's question, though it did not last too long at all. The White Queen soon gestured to Alice, pulling her straight from her reverie.

"Alice, if you wouldn't mind terribly, I do believe we have a few matters that require discussion." Alice nodded her acceptance. The White Queen smiled, sweeping her skirts into one of her raised hands as she turned and began for one of the many white hallways of the Castle. "The study is likely the best place to do so." She said, turning her head slightly to face Alice as she did so. "Some opinions are, after all, rather shy and require a pinch of privacy or they will simply refuse to reveal themselves to the matters at hand."

The duo continued on through the winding hallways of the White Castle for a few more minutes, until they reached their final destination. The Queen gracefully stepped around the opened door, gesturing for her companion to do the same. Alice entered the room, pushing the door open slightly as she did so (for she was not as graceful as the White Queen), and began to inspect the contents of the room. Alice turned slowly finding the rather peculiar room to be filled with books containing information on diverse topics including (but certainly not limited to) the complete history of Snud and the alternate uses of upelkuchen. As with any good study, these books were in the very good company of comfortable pieces of velvet covered furniture and a rather large dome ceiling, so the number of books the study was able to hold would likely never be limited by the height restrictions as so many are.

The Queen smiled as she turned to face Alice, waving her hand vaguely in the direction of one of the rather cushioned chairs.

"Do take a seat, Alice." She requested, waiting for the Champion to accept the offer before taking her own advice.

Thankful to be off of her feet, Alice accepted the offer of the chair and soon found herself to be seated in what was quite possibly _the_ most comfortable chair she had sat in for quite some time. Feeling slightly more able to face whatever matter had the Queen so worried, Alice nodded her head slightly in the Queen's direction as a subtle prompt for the monarch to continue.

"Alice," She began, her voice slightly more tired than it had been before. "I'm afraid that the matter at hand is rather large and not all that pretty. If this could possibly play out any other way, let me assure you I would try my very hardest to allow it to. Alas, it cannot and it is with this unfortunate circumstance we are stuck and will have to deal with."

Alice furrowed her brow slightly. Though she was not entirely sure what had the White Queen so worried at this point, she_ was_ very sure that if it had the White Queen so worried, the whole of Underland should also be quite worried. The White Queen let her warnings sit for a brief moment before continuing. Alice took in a deep breath in anticipation.

"Alice, I am afraid that my time in Underland is up."

Alice's breath stopped mid exhale. _That_ was more than certainly _not_ what she was expecting. She felt the need to verify the Queen's statement.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty?" She inquired, leaning forward slightly in her chair. The Queen smiled sadly.

"Just Mirana, Champion Alice." She corrected the blonde before continuing with the matter at hand. "And I'm afraid that it is likely you heard me correctly. My time in Underland is quite up, though I'm quite sure that this is _not _the problem we must face this afternoon, dear Alice, rather the cause of the problem."

Alice nodded. Underland was going to be lacking a queen. This, of course, was quite the issue as a country without a monarch was a country without control. As far as Alice knew, the White Queen was also without an heir to take the throne, which raised the question: Who was going to rule Underland?

"There isn't another Queen or King to take your place." She stated, surprised by the amused expression on the Queen's face at the statement.

"Oh, Alice." The Queen began, smiling as she did so. "I'm afraid you couldn't be more wrong about that. Funny, how you always seem to dismiss your previous visits to Underland as mere dreams, isn't it?"

The crease between Alice's eyebrows deepened. Whatever could the Queen _possibly _mean by that statement? Dismissing her visits to Underland as dreams? Alice was fairly certain she knew just what she had dreamed and what she had really done.

She paused, her train of thought interrupted briefly as she did so. Did she not believe her first trip to Underland to be just a dream? Did she not just dismiss it as such? Could it be possible that she had been to Underland more times than she remembered? Alice stretched her mind, knowing that there must be _something_ she was forgetting, but came up with empty hands. She simply did not remember.

"I'm afraid I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about, Mirana." Alice admitted, looking up at the Queen with frustration behind her eyes. "As far as I can tell, this is my third time in Underland."

The White Queen smiled once more, shaking her head slowly.

"That, my dear, is where you are just a tiny bit wrong, as everyone must be at some point in their life. Based upon your words, I will simply presume that you do _not _remember the first time we met?" Alice shook her head. "Would it help if I told you we played chess last we met? You took the place of my daughter, Lily."

Alice's eyes lit in recognition. She remembered, now. Though while the Queen's time in Underland may be up, Alice was still confused about how this was linked to her. If she had a daughter, as Alice's fuzzy memories recall, then why was this conversation with Alice necessary?

"Mirana, with all due respect, why does this particular matter require discussion with _me_ and opinions on _my_ part?"  
The Queen sighed.

"Underland needs at least one ruler, Alice. There have been times when there were as many as 8 rulers of Underland, each with a colour or suit of their own." Mirana paused, looking at Alice very seriously. "You must understand, Alice. At the moment, there are two queens. When I leave Underland, there will only be one." Alice nodded to indicate her understanding.

"Lily." She confirmed, rather shocked when the White Queen shook her head.

"No, Alice. Not Lily." She said, her voice shaking slightly. "Lily has already seen her time here in Underland." Alice frowned. This statement brought up entirely too many questions and was all together frustrating. She decided it would be for the best to voice these questions regardless, since these appeared to be questions that simply required answers.

"How is that possible, Mirana? Are you not significantly older than she? And if Lily is no more, then who _is_ the second Queen of Underland?" The White Queen smiled sadly.

"Alice, the time we spend in Underland is determined by much more than age. We all have our purposes, and it is inevitable that we will all have to face a time when our purpose has been fulfilled and our existence is not pointless, but simply less meaningful. It is at this point we leave Underland, going instead to a new land where our purpose is renewed and our lives have meanings once more." She explained, placing a gentle hand on Alice's forearm. "Lily, to put it simply, spent her time in Underland and has since moved on. It would appear that it was simply not fate's choice to have Lily be a Queen of Underland." Mirana paused. "Alice, I'm sure you will remember that last time you visited Underland through the looking glass, you were crowned at the eighth square?"

Alice's eyes widened in recognition of the White Queen's statement. The Queen nodded sadly.

_Well this certainly puts an interesting twist on things…_


	8. Chapter Six

Day Three

It seemed as though it all came back to Alice at once. She had seen the Tweedles fighting over a spoilt rattle, and she had read the Jabberwocky poem through a mirror. She had witnessed the brawl between the lion and the unicorn and seen all the king's horses and all the king's men rush to Humpty Dumpty's aid. But most importantly, she had been crowned a Queen of Underland.

It suddenly became all _too_ clear to Alice_ why_ she was the one seated with the Queen at the present moment. The Queen wasn't just telling her that she would be gone, soon. She was telling her that she would be gone, and when she was it would fall upon _Alice_ to run the land.

This was, of course, what Alice would consider to be a perfectly ridiculous idea, though she supposed that ridiculous ideas were sometimes the best ones. But she was fairly certain that this was not the case. She might be the Queen's so called Champion, but she really knew almost next to nothing about the land she would apparently soon become responsible for. She hadn't been to Underland for years and was really quite inexperienced when it came to matters regarding sovereignty. She decided it was likely the best of ideas to voice this concern to the White Queen. There was no way around it- the Queen would simply have to find another candidate.

"Mirana, I'm afraid that your proposition is, with all due respect, perfectly ridiculous. Though ridiculous ideas are sometimes the very best ideas, I'm afraid this is simply not one of them. I am a girl named Alice, not a Queen of Underland, despite what a technicality might say. I'm sorry, your Majesty, but you will simply have to find another candidate." Her voice shook slightly, her concern with the matter clear as day. The Queen sighed at the response. It was obvious that Alice was not going to be one to be easily swayed. While her backbone would unquestionably become very useful in the future, the White Queen did find it to be rather frustrating at that very moment, as she was the one who was going against it.

"Alice, when I told you that if there was another way around the matter I would choose it, I did mean it. There is no way around you being a Queen. The only matter that remains in what kind of a Queen you will be. I'm afraid there is no going back or reversing what has been done, we will simply have to live with the consequences." She paused, turning up her lips slightly. "Rather, you and the rest of Underland will have to live with the consequences."

Alice frowned. The question '_What kind of a Queen you will be?_' was one she had never even considered to consider, considering she didn't even know quite what the question was getting at.

"I beg your pardon, but might I ask what you mean when you say 'what _kind_ of Queen'? Is there not only one kind- the royal kind?"

The Queen smiled.

"I'm sure you remember the Queen of Hearts, Alice." She began, smiling fondly. "Not, of course, to be confused with the Red Queen."

"Why was the Red Castle decorated in Hearts, then?" Alice asked, forgetting for the moment that it was rude to interrupt. The White Queen continued to smile.

"Well, when the Queen of Hearts met her time, Iracebeth felt it fitting to take over her castle and jurisdiction. She sort of became the Red Queen of Hearts, if you will." The White Queen answered.

Alice nodded. It made sense. What still did not make sense, however, was the Queen's comment about kinds of queens.

"What I mean," The Queen began once more, "by what _kind_ of Queen, is a matter that most would consider trivial until given deeper consideration. The Queen of Hearts constantly surrounded herself with the symbol, and Iracebeth the colour red. I'm sure that by this time you've realized my castle to be swathed in white, but I suppose the obvious should be stated, too. Every Queen is the Queen of _something_, Alice. At the moment, I suppose you are simply _Queen Alice_, but it cannot remain so. Underland will simply not accept."

Alice considered the Queen's words for a moment. It did make sense, she supposed. The Queen's name was symbolic about her aims. The White Queen's reign was white and pure, as her name might imply. The Red Queen's reign was bold and bloody. The question, however, was just what kind of a reign was Alice looking for?

Better yet, why was she even considering accepting the Queen's offer? She knew the Queen had insisted she must take up the post, though it was still unclear as to why.

_Maybe it isn't clear for a reason?_ Alice pondered, twirling the idea around in her mind for a moment. _Is it even worth asking? Is this something I need to know?_

Alice dismissed the idea of asking. For once, she would simply have to keep her questions to herself and have faith in the words of the White Queen. She would act in the best interest of Underland, and if Alice being Queen was in the best interest of Underland, then Alice would simply have to accept that, surreal as it was.

"Alright," Alice agreed hesitantly, much to the surprise of the White Queen. "I suppose there really isn't a way out of it, is there?" The Queen shook her head. Alice nodded her acceptance. "Well, then, I suppose we might have to begin on finding just what kind of rule I will lead."

The Queen smiled, evidently pleased with the turn of events. She had anticipated that convincing Alice would take significantly more effort and a fair bit more time.

"Alice, I must admit that I _am_ rather glad you've accepted this so readily. Perhaps it will be of relief to you to hear that fate will choose for you your colour or emblem?"

Alice paused mid thought. _Fate would choose_? Alice hadn't been aware that Fate was a force capable of choice, but she supposed she was learning something new everyday.

"How exactly does fate choose such things?" She queried, confusion still lining her tone. The Queen smiled. Alice, of course, would always ask the questions for which the answers were slightly less relevant than the ones to other questions she could have asked.

"As I'm sure you know, Alice, fate works in funny ways." She began. "As such, I have absolutely no idea how fate works, though I do know that you must give fate something to go off of, when selecting your symbol." Alice frowned. How could she give something that she did not know how it worked, something to go off of from which her character could be appropriately judged? What was an appropriate thing to give a force?

"Something to go off of?" She asked. The White Queen stood in response, waltzing over to one of the many books opened on the mahogany table sitting perpendicular to the set of chairs.

"Yes, Alice." She responded quietly, leafing through a hefty tome as she did so. "Something to go off of, indeed." She allowed her voice to trail off as she squinted at the dust-covered text. "I suppose one might call it a quest of sorts. A quest for your symbol."

Alice frowned. The idea of a quest for a symbol or colour seemed a bit difficult. How were you to find something that isn't always completely tangible?

"How would… will… I go about this Quest, Mirana?" Alice asked. The Queen's expression became slightly more serious.

"I can't tell you exactly, Alice. It's different for us all. What you must do is demonstrate to fate just what kind of rule you want. What do you value and which of those values do you wish to uphold in Underland through your vows? The questions are endless, and the answers only you know. With this, _you_ must make the rules."

_I suppose that makes quite a lot of sense when one thinks about it,_ Alice pondered. _After all, it is my quest and as such it is my responsibility to find the rules and regulations for it. If I am to show fate just who I am and how I wish to run Underland, it would make rather a lot of sense for me to also know how best to show my desires and ideas to fate. _Alice's thoughts paused. _Though I suppose the question still stands: how am I to demonstrate this?_

Alice's worry was evident on her face, her brows creased slightly as her internal conversation continued. The White Queen placed a gentle hand on Alice's forearm.

"I do believe that's all I have to say for today, Alice. I won't be disappointed if you wish for some time with your thoughts." Alice nodded. Time with her thoughts did indeed sound rather splendid at the present moment. Perhaps they would speak to her and impart some wisdom from which her actions may be planned. The Queen's face lit up with a smile once more, the frazzled expression lessened now the conversation was over and an element of calmness restored in her motions. "Very well, then. I shall show you to your chambers, if you don't object too terribly."

Alice didn't object in the slightest, actually, though she didn't voice this opinion since she was still waist deep in thoughts of quests, colours and symbols. At the same time, she was well over her head in thoughts of how to demonstrate her values and beliefs to something she could not necessarily see or touch.

Needless to say, Alice's mind wasn't exactly present as the White Queen led her through the halls of the castle, turning at the appropriate hallways and opening the right doors until they stood in front of a rather tall, darkly stained door.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts then, Alice." The Queen concluded, turning briefly with the intent to leave. She turned her head back as Alice opened the door to the spacious room, adding that the 'Hatter, Hare and Dormouse should be here by dinner' before beginning down the long hallway she came from, leaving Alice feeling more alone than she ever had before.


	9. Chapter Seven

Day Four

Alice sat in her chambers pondering for the better part of the next hour before she realized that dinner time was, though a general time indeed, likely very fast approaching. She figured it would then be in her best interest to depart from her thinking post on the blue bedspread and figure out just where the kitchens were. As the castle was rather large and Alice hadn't been _to_ the castle in quite a few years (at least, in her time), she wasn't exactly entirely sure about the whereabouts of anything and figured it might be a good idea to explore the castle and figure everything out.

_You're just going to have to leave again soon, anyways…_ Her mind reminded. Alice shushed herself, noticing as she did so that the notion of shushing one's own self is a rather odd one- telling your very own thoughts to quiet down so you can hear your thoughts seems like an almost counterproductive way of going about things, though Alice supposed that sometimes being counterproductive was the absolute best way of being productive, nonsensical as _that_ thought might be. Alice brushed off the notion- nonsense was key to leading an interesting life, anyways. After all, when she was little she _did _dream of a world where everything would be nonsense. One where nothing would be what it is, because what it would be was what it was not, and what it was, it would not be. This was also a rather counterproductive thought, more so than shushing one's own self, Alice supposed. The notion that she _could_ be far more ridiculous than she _was_ being was almost comforting in a way, she figured. There was then a bit of wiggle room as far as nonsense went, which was probably for the best.

Alice hoisted herself up, off of her blue bedcover and made her way over to the mirror opposite the bed. She touched the corner gently to check if it would allow her passage to some other foreign land that she had just been previously unaware of before she examined herself in the reflective glass. She certainly didn't look much different than she had when she had entered Underland, yet she felt certain that she was a very different person now than she had been just mere hours before. The transformation was undeniable, it was just a matter of _how_ she had transformed. She felt different, but for now she supposed she would just have to be content with that limit to her knowledge.

Slipping her hands quickly through her mildly tangled hair, Alice fixed her appearance carefully, figuring if she was going to be wandering around a castle she might as well look somewhat presentable. She tucked stray locks behind her ears carefully, pinched her cheeks to get some blood flow and colour to the pale skin, and rubbed at her eyes in an attempt to wake up a bit. Alice looked up into the mirror once more, feeling slightly more confident in her appearance than she had, before. She didn't look quite as shocked, though she supposed that appearances can quite often be very deceiving, considering she was still quite shocked with the present situation.

Alice took a moment to take inventory of the room, looking carefully at her surroundings as she had not before, trapped in thoughts of quests, colours and (most importantly, Alice thought) rules. The walls of the room were a shade of off white, accented tastefully with crisp white swirls decorating the perimeter along the top and bottoms of each wall. A crisp blue bedspread decorated the (rather sizable, Alice thought) bed along with an embarrassment of pillows and a throw blanket at the foot, presumably for the comfortable-looking armchair in the corner. Opposite the armchair was a small table on which Alice could possibly place small knick knacks lacking a real spot, or even a couple of papers for which she had no time to file. The other wall was partially covered by a medium-sized wardrobe, which Alice resisted the urge to open. If there really were something in the wardrobe, it would be terribly rude of her to simply open it and examine the owner's things without their consent. Alice would simply not allow curiosity to ruin her manners, even though she rather considered curiosity to be one of her better traits, while manners was not.

More than satisfied with her surroundings, Alice began to make her way for the large door the Queen had previously escorted her through, grasping the handle rather gently. Alice found it quite hard to forget the first time she had entered Underland- how the doorknob had made such a fuss about the way she had grabbed it. Gently this time, Alice turned the knob, releasing it at the earliest possible second and closing the door gently. She could swear she heard a quiet 'thank you' coming from the direction of the door, but then again that could just have been her rather sizable imagination speaking.

She began to make her way down one of the many castle hallways, admiring the marble floors and walls as she went along, mentally tracing pictures in the natural swirls as she went along, not paying particular attention to just what turns she was taking.

Her steps echoed as she walked, clicking loud against the silence of the wing of the castle, and as she wandered she allowed her mind to do so, once more.

She didn't wish to take her quest alone, of that much she was certain. But the question was just who would she take? Who would be willing to accompany her, some girl from Above who really didn't know anything about the land, let alone what she was looking for. Alice figured she would have to bring up the topic with the White Queen, though she was quite certain that a certain Cheshire Cat could be checked off the list, already. He had hardly made it though an afternoon with Alice. She shuddered to think what a foul mood he might be in after the multiple days her journey would inevitably take.

Alice paused for a moment, looking up to take in her surroundings as she entered a rather large room of sorts. The ceilings were rather high and the walls were made of what would appear to be marble, as with the rest of the castle. What struck Alice about the room, however, were the portraits cloaking the walls.

Hundreds of portraits swathed the marble walls of the room, the subjects gorgeous as the artist's strokes. Alice examined the closest one- a tall, sturdy looking man stood with his hand resting on the shoulder of a rather delicate brunette. The man's moustache was thick and bushy, the hat he wore rather extravagant and a pair of glasses perched rather precariously on his nose. The woman's hair was not long, as Alice knew to be standard above, but rather shoulder length and rather thick. A light rose dress cloaked her supposedly slender figure, and a sly smile graced her delicate features.

Alice was entranced by the couple, and searched briefly for a plaque or any kind of indication hinting at their identities. Though she found none, Alice made note to herself to ask the White Queen about the room, and the pair in particular. If it was in her castle, Alice figured she would probably have the best idea about just who they were.

She continued on along the room, looking at a few of the portraits as she did so. Some portraits were of pairs and some of couples. Some were of animals that seemed rather human to Alice, and some were just of one person.

The mystery surrounding the room bit at Alice as she passed through the door she came through, making her way slowly back to her chambers. Who were in the portraits? What did they do?

Alice arrived at her chambers after a brief walk and, not bothering to enter, began down the opposite hallway- the one the White Queen had led her down when escorting her to her rooms. Following her instinct and sense of adventure, Alice turned left once and right twice along the way, eventually ending up (surprisingly, considering how large the castle was) right where she had intended to from the very start- the kitchens.

Alice peeked through the half opened door carefully, painfully aware of the fact that this was Thackary's station and thus things that Alice thought had no place in the air were often found flying through the air, and the occasional fire was not at all unheard of.

Alice was not disappointed when she looked thorough the door, and was promptly met with the sight of Thackary throwing a jar full of a green coloured substance into a pot, only to extract it with a pair of tongs just seconds later, emptied. She smiled, thinking of how much she really _had_ missed Underland and it's strange ways when she was gone.

_Um. Yeah._

_So for those of you who don't know, I'm doing Nanowrimo, thus the constant updating._

_Update on The Word Count Front:_

_I'm currently 2 days behind due to life kicking in, but I'm still rolling. I've got a week off starting Monday, so be prepared for some updating and maybe even some catching up._

_-l'automne._


	10. Chapter Eight

Day Five (And a few more)

It had not been five minutes since Alice had been peeking in on Thackary in the kitchen when she found herself seated along with what seemed to be a third of Underland's population before a rather large, exotic looking feast. Though Alice was fairly sure that the bird gracing the plate in front of her was _not_ chicken, or turkey, or any kind of Aboveland fowl, she simply could not deny her hunger or the fact that it smelled absolutely mouthwatering.

To Alice's left sat the White Queen, delicately eating her salad (meat went against her vows, after all) composed of what Alice thought might be rutabaga, carrots, celery, cucumber, and a few vegetables she wasn't really certain of.

_They're probably some kind of Underlandian vegetables,_ She figured. She was, after all, fairly certain that there were no large blue turnip-like vegetables to be found in most London made salads.

To Alice's right sat the Mad Hatter, smiling coyly at the Cheshire Cat as they discussed the pros and cons of clay teapots. The Hatter insisted that clay teapots would simply not do, as they absorb the oils and thus you can't use one teapot for many kinds of tea. The Cheshire Cat, it would seem did _not_ agree with the Hatter's statement, and countered with the fact that the tea you _do_ brew in the clay pot is much richer and more flavourful. Alice found the entire conversation to be rather ridiculous, as one's opinion was heavily weighed by one's priorities and tea preferences, but she figured there was really nothing to be done, there.

She smiled, poking gently at the unknown fowl on her plate. The White Queen leaned over, bending to whisper gently in Alice's ear.

"Have you told anyone yet, Champion Alice?" She queried, poking at a sliver of carrot as she posed the question. The carrot entered her darkly hued mouth as the Queen leaned back into her chair. Alice smiled sadly, poking still at the unknown fowl.

"No," She admitted. "I simply can not say that I have. I will soon, but as of yet I simply have not come to decide just how to go about this questing business." She told the queen, quickly putting the first bite of the unidentified meal into her mouth. The bird had a faint, gamey taste but otherwise tasted vaguely of chicken. Alice figured her stomach could likely handle this bird, and proceeded to place another bite into her mouth. The Queen nodded.

"I suppose I can understand that, it took me days on end to figure out my own quest." Alice felt vaguely comforted at this fact, as the White Queen rather seemed like the type of person who would be very sure of her quest, indeed. Her shock likely showed on her face, as the Queen smiled sympathetically and placed a light hand briefly on Alice's pale forearm. "It will come, Champion Alice. It will come. Just be sure to leave the doors of your mind open for it." She advised, winking as she speared a blue turnip. "Otherwise I fear it might pass straight by, never to be seen again. It's rather sad, you know. Happens to the best of ideas."

Alice laughed softly, turning back to stare at her plate for a moment. A rather pale hand, attached to a rather pale arm swathed in rather colourful fabric, soon interrupted her gaze. It was, of course, the arm of the Mad Hatter. Alice smiled as she turned her gaze to meet his, placing down her fork as she did so. The Hatter leaned in, so as to speak in her ear rather quietly.

"Can I ask, Champion Alice, just what it is you might be leaving your mind open to? Perhaps I can be of assistance in directing ideas your way?" He lisped, smiling gently as he offered. Alice broke eye contact and looked down at her lap slowly, lightly nudging the White Queen's shin as she did so. The meddling monarch likely knew Tarrant had been listening, and that her suggestion would have conversational consequences. The Queen laughed airily at Alice's nudge. She had, after all, gotten exactly what she wanted.

Alice turned back to meet Tarrant's now mildly concerned gaze.

"Absolutely nothing of consequence, Hatter." She smiled, fiddling with the position of her napkin. "Merely a few trivial matters left over from my last visits."

The Hatter frowned but dropped the subject for the time, evidently still not terribly pleased with the conversational progression.

"If you're rather sure, then?" He offered again, nodding at Alice's rather enthusiastic headshake.

Alice turned her gaze to the other occupants of the table, meeting the eye of the Cheshire Cat.

The cat smiled, raising his eyebrow as he did so. Alice paused for a moment as the fact that the cat had just raised his eyebrow threw her off guard just a tad before she continued on with her life. The Cheshire Cat grinned broadly and his stripes twirled around him, changing colour to a not so delightful puce hue.

"Oh, Alice…" He purred, his words smooth as his voice. "Do not hesitate to ask for help when you need it. Sometimes you might just find exactly what you are looking for." The cat raised his eyebrow again. Alice felt her face flush at his words. She felt fairly certain the cat knew just what he was talking about, and based off of his expression she also felt fairly sure that he meant for her to know that. Better yet, Alice found it obvious that the cat was purposely trying to stir up a bit of trouble and was, as per usual, succeeding rather nicely.

Alice thought carefully at her response, staring quietly at Tarrant's hand as it fiddled with the fringe of the tablecloth.

"I never said I needed help, Chess." Alice told the cat, smiling as she looked up once more. "Certainly, I never said I needed help finding anything. Not yet, anyway. I feel certain that if I were to begin to look at this point, I simply would not know what to be on the look out _for_." The Cheshire Cat opened his mouth, presumably to respond, though the White Queen's voice cut him off rather effectively.

"That's a rather smart idea, Alice." She said, raising both eyebrows at the Cheshire Cat. Alice leaned forward slightly, relieved at the White Queen's look. Chess' games would soon be over. For the time being, at least.

The Hatter, however, seemed to only be more confused than ever at the situation and Alice's search of heaven knows what.

She leaned to her right slightly, nudging the Hatter's side gently in an attempt to coax his eyes up from the slightly off white table cloth and to meet her own. Her attempt succeeded, and she leaned in to his ear to assure him gently.

"I'll tell you, soon, Tarrant." She assured him, patting his forearm lightly and briefly before tucking her left hand back onto her lap and picking up the abandoned fork with her right. The Hatter smiled, leaning in towards Alice for a final comment.

"Oh, I never doubted that, Alice. It's just a matter of when."

* * *

Alice found herself in the library shortly following dinner, pulling open a number of tomes and leafing through each quickly in a search for any sort of information that might turn out useful to her pursuit. As she was so concentrated, Alice found herself to be quite startled when she looked up and found herself nose to nose with the Cheshire Cat.

"Aliceeee." He purred, his voice smooth as his fur. "How ever did I know I would find you here? You _are_ quite a bit more predictable than you were when we last met, hmmmm?" He floated slowly off the table, hovering about half a foot above the teak wood desk as he flicked his tail to and fro lazily.

Alice furrowed her eyebrows, turning a thin page in a rather determined manner. She was _not_ predictable, not in the slightest! She was simply driven and absorbed. Both were rather more desirable qualities than predictability, Alice figured. She decided to voice this opinion.

"I am _not_ predictable, Chess." She told him rather sternly. "Simply driven and absorbed in my task." The Cat laughed.

"You thought that one over rather a lot, did you not, dear Champion?" He teased, rolling smoothly through the air as he did so. He stopped on his third rotation, regarding Alice with yellow eyes from his upside down vantage point. "Then again, I did forget you do rather have a tendency to over think matters. Let it be, dear Champion. It is what it is."

Alice scoffed, the sound loud and, as she looked back on it, a tad bit rude. She did not over think matters. She simply did not understand living on the edge and making your decisions there in the meantime. Quick decisions make for an unpredictable result, as her mother often told her.

_Why, then, do you always make quick decisions in Underland and always find them to work out rather nicely then, hmmm?_ She asked herself tersely. Alice shook her head. She hadn't scolded herself quite so often in a while. It seemed that every time she arrived in Underland she simply threw herself back into old habits. If things continued as such, Alice wouldn't be too terribly surprised if she scolded herself to tears soon as she used to far too often. Though she rather enjoyed giving herself a good scolding once in a while, she did have to remind herself that there _was_ a fine line separating a good scolding from a detrimental, self-esteem cracking scolding.

She realized then that she had halted the conversation for a rather lengthy period of time and shook herself internally.

"Well." She responded, feeling silly and not very intelligent as she did so. She had rather forgotten just where the conversation had been going, and thus decided that a good neutral statement was in order. "I suppose we will just have to agree to disagree, then. You may stick with your opinion, but I do believe I will be keeping my own."

The Cat grinned broadly, his teeth flashing a variety of colours as he did so.

"Why Alice, if I did not know much better, I might believe you lost track of this conversation." He teased. Alice scoffed once again. His grin broadened. "Very well, then. I suppose I will simply keep my opinions to myself. Call if you need me." He told her, fading as he floated. "I did have some very good advice for you, though I'm sure you've already given yourself some. I thought that perhaps you would welcome my own advice, however, since you very seldom follow your own." He told her, floating off until he was merely a memory in the air.

Alice huffed indignantly, turning back to her rather large book.

_Just a cat, _She told herself. _What could he possibly know, anyway?_


	11. Chapter Nine

Day Fifteen

Alice threw her hands up in the air, running them down threw her hair and thumping them down on her lap in frustration. She was getting _nowhere_. Better yet- she was getting nowhere _slowly_, which was rather worse than getting nowhere _quickly_, as at least when you go nowhere with speed you arrive there sooner than you do when you go without. When you arrive sooner you can then turn back and rethink your steps in order to arrive _somewhere_ with some sort of speed and make up somewhat for your lost time.

Alice felt as though she didn't really have that option at the moment, though. She was rather stranded at the time being, and felt as though she really only had one option- one fork in the road that might lead her even to _somewhere_ as opposed to nowhere. Better yet- it might lead her to somewhere with some sort of speed, which would obviously be the most desirable way to go about things. The problem laid within the idea that in order to actually get _somewhere_ and off this slow and rather pointless trail to _nowhere_, she had to give up a bit of her pride and face the consequences and teasing that would inevitably come with her surrender. She was going to have to call the blasted cat, though she very much did _not_ fancy the idea.

"Chess…." She called softly, knowing he could probably hear her loud and clear, even if she could hardly hear herself. "I do believe I am quite ready to hear your very good advice, as mine is getting me nowhere at the moment. I think I'm even ready to follow it, if it's good enough and makes even some sort of sense." She admitted, itching her eyebrow in agitation.

As expected, the cat appeared slowly at her words. First came a grin, then a foot and a hand, the other foot, his eyes, another hand and the torso, followed by his tail. The stripes wound around his body as he floated towards Alice, his smile so broad it hurt her own lips to look at.

"Oh, I do love being right." He goaded, floating around Alice in a circle. "Even more so, I do rather love being _told_ that I am right. Rubs it in a little, you know?"

Alice frowned, looking up at the high ceiling as though it was about to throw her down some patience and maybe even better advice than the cat could even possibly have, so she wouldn't have to listen to him any longer.

The Cheshire Cat, likely sensing Alice's frustration, decided to jump right into his so called 'very good advice', as he was not getting a very desirable response from the soon to be recipient of said advice.

"What do you want to achieve with your reign, dear Alice?" He questioned, stopping his floating directly in front of Alice. Alice frowned.

"I can't say I know for sure, yet, Chess." She told him, frustration evident in her voice. "I did think that was what you were going to advise me on, to be frank."

The cat shrugged and began to float backwards, leaving his arms in their questioning and shrugged position.

"Well then, Alice, I would advise you to gain a bit of perspective on your quest. How might you go about gaining this?" He questioned. Alice frowned.

She wondered if things here in Underland were the same in this regard, as things were in London. Though many things were different between the two worlds, often times the qualities Alice did not expect to be similar with the world she had left were identical to those in the world she now roamed. She decided to take a chance and bear with the Cat's scoffing if her suggestion was ludicrous in his opinion.

"Experience?" She queried, smiling when the cat floated back into his arms with a nod.

"Yes, Alice." He complimented, smiling at her accomplishment. "You need to experience Underland before you can figure out how to govern it. You need to meet the people and see their needs. Walk a mile in their shoes, as I've heard they say above." He advised, winking as he used the familiar quote. "Though I do believe that idea might not be in your best interest, as I would imagine that you would like the citizens to hold you in high regard, which might be a challenge if you have stolen their footwear and have run with it. Such an act might even qualify as theft, actually." He mused, flicking his tail lazily as he did so. Alice smiled.

"So what you're saying is that I should travel through Underland on my quest and gain some semblance of perspective so fate may determine what kind of rule I will lead?" She asked. The Cat nodded.

"Essentially, yes." He confirmed. Alice frowned.

"That seems almost too simple." She commented, her frown deepening as the Cat's smile broadened.

"Ah, but often you might find the simple solutions to be the most effective ones, Champion Alice." His voice took on a more serious tone. "Though I suppose it might not be as simple as it sounds. Underland can be rather treacherous and unforgiving to those who attempt to explore it, no matter how fair their intentions. It would be in your best interest to consult the White Queen on this matter." He floated upside down. "She would know rather better than I how to go about traveling through Underland."

Alice smiled. At least she had something to go off of when consulting the White Queen this time. She had considered asking her for help earlier on but quickly dismissed the concept, deciding it would be entirely too embarrassing and pointless to go to the White Queen without even a starting point to begin with.

Alice reached out a pale hand to Chess, scratching him affectionately behind his ear. He purred automatically, as he was in fact a feline and as such enjoyed a good scratching. He floated backwards when he realized his rather undignified response to Alice's actions. She stifled a laugh as he glared, his eyes yellow slits sending waves of contempt in her direction.

"A reward for the advice?" She offered, her laughter growing as the cat evaporated, his expression haughty.

Alone, Alice stood from her desk and began to replace the books she had moved in her quest for information about Underland's terrain and it's people. She figured there was absolutely no time like the present, and as such, she decided it would be in her best interest to act on that notion _at the present moment_.

She began to open the large door leading to the study, pushing out to open the doorway, when the door hit something. Thankful she hadn't been pushing the door with much strength, so the person on the other end was likely quite alright.

Alice peeked around the chunk of wood, only slightly surprised to find an amused Hatter on the other end.

"On your way out, Alice?" He lisped, the question coming out in a sing song way. Alice smiled.

"Indeed I am, Tarrant." She replied gently, stepping around the door to join him in the hallway. "Is there anything I can help you with?" She offered, smiling softly as she did so. Tarrant smiled, clasping his hands in front of him and rocking back slightly on his heels.

"Not at all, Alice. Just looking for a bit of company." He replied. His grin faded rather quickly as he followed with "Though if you don't wish to have company at the present moment that's **perfectly acceptable**, as well. I wouldn't wish to be a burden on you, dear Alice. Burdens _are _rather nasty things, don't you think? Always holding people back from their full potential and such nonsense. I would hate to become…" His voice trailed off as Alice let loose a laugh.

"You're hardly a burden, Hatter." She told him with a smile, placing a soft hand on his forearm. "I would love some company, right now. I'm going to see the White Queen. Care to walk with me?" She offered, releasing his forearm and holding out a hand. The Hatter accepted the hand and began to swing their joined extremities lightly as they made their way down the marble corridor. Alice smiled as she looked down at the woven fingers. Both hands were rather pale, though the Hatter's orange stained fingers made for a rather interesting contrast between the two.

"Have you been terribly busy this evening, Tarrant?" She asked as they walked. He paused his swinging for a brief moment, resuming after a second without a word.

"Oh, I would dare say so." He replied, looking down at his mismatched socks as he replied. "Hat making, you know. Hats _do_ go out of style quite quickly and are as such almost always in demand." He paused a moment before continuing on. "And you, Alice? I daresay I might not have guessed you would spend your first evening in Underland cooped up in the study of all places." He smiled, waving their hands arrhythmically for a moment before resuming the previous pattern. "Though I suppose the study is rather nice. Filled with knowledge, you know."

Alice laughed. It was somehow a perfect comment for the Hatter to make about her choice in evening activities. He smiled brightly at her merriment, waiting to hear her reply.

"I did have a few things I needed to get done this evening," She admitted. "I daresay the study would not have been my first choice in evening activities otherwise."

The Hatter frowned at Alice's statement, his fuchsia lips looking significantly less bright as they were pulled down.

"Were you studying the same thing everyone was discussing at dinner?" He questioned, his lisp slowly growing to be more prominent.

Alice paused her thoughts for a moment, deciding it would be in the best interests of everyone involved to be honest.

"Yes, Hatter. I was."


End file.
